Sliding cover for tablets and the like



la'atented 7, 19325.

aren't Pics.

ISABEL B. CASTO AND BEBECCA E. HOOPER, OF HALE MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA.

SLIDING COVER- EOB TABLETS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed February 23, 1924. Serial No. 694,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IsAnnL B. OASTO and Rnnnocn E. Hoornn, citizens of the United States, residing at Half Moon Bay, county of San Mateo, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sliding Covers for Tablets and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a school and office appliance and particularly pertains to a cover for tablets, books, and writing pads.

The principal object of .the present inven tion is to provide a cover which may be de tachably secured over a writing pad and which is so constructedas to be of assistance in ruling-the paper, as well as forming a guide in making drawings and such, for example, such as those used in geometry and trigonometry. The stucture is also capable of use in memory work where a part of the written matter on a pad may be concealed by the cover and afterwards'disclosed by moving the cover transversely.

The present invention contemplates the use of a permanent cover member which may be interchangeably disposed upon a pad of paper such as a writing tablet and maybe manipulated so as to form a guide for ruling lines both longitudinally and transversely of the paper in any desired spaced relation to each other. y

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in plan showing one form of the present invention.

Fi 2 is a view. in transverse section through the device shown in Fig. 1as viewed on line 2-2.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan showing another form oftheprescnt invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in transverse section through Fig.3 as seen on line 47-4.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 10 indicates a rigid back member preferably formed of stifi" cardboard and uponwhich is mounted a pivotal spring pressed clamp 11. This clamp is intended to cooperate with the rigid back memberin providing a structure by which a pad of tablet paper may be gripped and held. The clamp 11' is fitted with a rod 12 which is rigidly secured to it and extends transversely of the ri id back member. This rod is preferably formed with a plurality of spaced notches 13 adapted to be engaged by spring fingers 14. The fingers 14: are carried by a sleeve '15 which is slidable on the rod 12 and may be set by register of'the spring fingers with the notches. The fingers 1 1 are of spring material and are fastenedlat one end to the sleeve as shown in Fig; 1. Their other ends are hooked so as to provide projecting fingers which may extend through slots in the sleeve and engage notches 13 in the rod 12; thus the spring action of the fingers 14: will normally hold-them in the notches unless they are withdrawn, and when the hooked ends of the fingers 1 1 are held in a particular notch 13, it will present rela- P tivemovement between the sleeve of the cover and the rod 12, thus permitting the cover tobe adjustably set and moved transversely of the pad and to be set at equal spaced intervals as determined by the positions of the notches in the rod 12.

A cover 16 is fastened to the sleeve and moves bodily therewith. This cover may :be of anydimension, but is preferably the same size as the pad so that when the cover is not being used as a guide for drawing, it may serve as a protective cover for the pad. The cover may be of any preferred sheet material, as for example, thin fiber board or metal, such as sheet aluminum.

The side edgesand the end opposite'the sleeve 15 are all straight and may be used as straight edges in drawing. The cover is perforated as indicated at 17 both along its sides and across its end. These perforations are of a size suificient to receive the point of a lead pencil or other stylus, so that equal distances may be spaced offupon; the sheet of paper, so by moving the cover laterally of the pad as it is guided along the rod 1 2and by projecting the pencil point through one of the perforations-17, a straight linemay be drawn. V

The perforations along the bottom edge of the cover are spacedequaldistaneeapart and the perforations occurring in each, row are relatively staggered to obtain a finer division. For instance, thespaces between the perforations in the rows may be aquarter of an inch. By staggering them a division is obtained of one-eighth of an inch spaces. The object of theseperforations is to permitany desired number of spaces to be laid off by insertingthe point of a pencil through them and making a dot on" the paper beneath the cover. The cover may then be shifted transversely until one of its edges aligns with these dots and a vertical line may then be drawn, using the edge of the cover as a straight edge. In this manner it is seen that the perforations along the side edges of the cover may be used to draw horizontal lines, and the perforations along the bottom edge of the cover used in spacing off the distance between the vertical lines drawn, and the side edges of the covers may then be used as straight edges to draw these vertical lines.

It will be evident that this structure could be advanta eously and conveniently used in ruling lines on paper for use in writing and printing or short hand work, and that lines could also be drawn to form the staff of a scale, or to draw figures forming parts of mathematical problems, such as geometry and trigonometry.

In that other form of the invention as shown in Figs. 3 and a of the drawings, it will be seen that the spring clamp member 11 is eliminated and that an angle plate 18 is provided. This plate is fastened to the tablet by bolts 19 and its upright leg extends at right angles to the face of the tablet. Slots 20 are formed in the upright member to receive pins 21 which project from the face of the member and are fastened to the rod 12 as previously described. The sleeve 15 is slidably mounted upon the rod 12 and carries a cover plate 22 shown in Fig. 4 as being formed of metal. It would be evident that as the thickness of the pad decreases, the pins 21 will slide down tne slots 20, thus permitting the plate 22 to lie flat against the top sheet of paper in the pad at all times.

A flange 23 is secured to the sleeve 15 to facilitate sliding the sleeve longitudinally of the rod 12. In the form of the device shown in Figs. 3 and 4, spring clips 2st cooperate with the cover plate to detachably hold a pencil 25 in position as shown in Fig. 4t.

It is obvious that in the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 when it is desired to remove a sheet of paper from a pad it is only necessary to release the clamp and thereby raise the cover from the pad. The desired sheetmay then be removed. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the height of the slot 20 is suflicient to allow the cover and its connected mechanism to be slightly raised, thus permitting the sheet directly beneath the cover to be torn out at will.

In operation of the present invention, the cover structure is mounted on the pad, either as shown in Figs. 1 or 3. It will also be understood that other modifications in the structure might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

When lines are to be drawn lengthwise of the paper, the cover may be shifted laterally thereof so that either of the edges may be used as a straight edge. The notches 13 and the spring fingers 14 cooperating therewith make it possible for the width of the paper to be divided in equal spaces. lVhen lines are to be drawn laterally of the paper, the point of a pencil may be passed through desired perforations, after which the cover may be moved a desired distance along the rod 12 and a line made on the paper by the point of the pencil as it projects through the perforations. It will be evident that by this arrangement, dimensions may be ccurately marked off on a paper and lines may be drawn in any spaced relation to each other, either parallel to each other or at right angles.

hen it is desired to use the structure here shown in memory work, columns of words, figures or the like may be written at the left hand side of the pad and the cover may be moved to conceal them. The student may then rewrite the words in the next column and uncover the concealed columns to compare the two sets. This is particu: larly advantageous in teaching shorthand, spelling, learning a vocabulary in foreign languages, and even the multiplication table in an elementary school.

While we have shown the preferred form of our ivention as now known to us, it will be understood that various changes in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a pad of paper, a cover therefor, and means for mounting said cover upon a pad in a manner to permit the cover to be moved laterally of the pad, said cover being formed with a plurality of perforations through which a stylus point may be projected by which lines may be ruled on the paper as the cover is moved laterally of the pad.

2. In combination with a pad of paper, a cover therefor, and means for mounting said cover upon a pad in a manner to permit the cover to be moved laterally of the pad, said cover being formed with a plurality of perforations through which a stylus point may be projected by which lines may be ruled on the paper as the cover is moved laterally of the pad, and means for temporarily positioning the cover so that one of its side edges may be used as a guide line'to form ruled lines on the pad in equal spaced relation to each other, and longitudinally of the sheet.

3. In combination with a pad of paper, a device for clamping and holding said pad, acover for the pad carried by the clamping device, and means for permitting the cover to move transversely of the pad and in relation to the clamp.

4. In combination with a pad of paper, a device for clamping and holding said pad, a cover for the pad carried by the clamping device, means for permitting the cover to move transversely of the pad and in relation to the clamp, and means for setting the cover at spaced equal distances along its transverse movement.

5. In combination with a pad of paper, a device for clamping and holding said pad, a cover for the pad carried by the clamping device, means for permitting the cover to move transversely of the pad and in relation to the clamp, said cover being formed With a plurality of perforations arranged longitudinally thereof and through which a stylus point may be projected to form a line on the paper of the pad as the cover is moved transversely thereof.

6. In combination with a pad of paper, a device for clamping and holding said pad, a cover for the pad carried by the clamping device, means for permitting the cover to move transversely of the pad and in relation to the clamp, means for setting the cover at spaced equal distances along its transverse movement, said cover being formed with a plurality of perforations arranged longitudinally thereof and through which a stylus point may be projected to form a line on the paper of the pad as the cover is moved transversely thereof.

EEBEGGA E. HOOPER. Mrs. ISABEL B. CASTO. 

